A quirk in the Hockey East schedule will bring two teams to Lowell, Mass., this weekend, and with it, a chance for the 20th ranked UMass Lowell men’s hockey team to inch its way further up the USCHO.com poll.
The River Hawks (4-1-2, 2-0-0 Hockey East) host No. 17 Northeastern (7-3-0, 4-2-0) visits the Tsongas Center on Friday night (7:15 p.m., NESN+) while No. 16 Boston College (5-4-1, 3-2-0) comes to town the next night (6:05 p.m.).
“We look at every weekend as an opportunity to prove something to ourselves,” Lowell coach Norm Bazin said. “We’re a work in progress. That’s the best way to say (it). Getting everything working on the same night — that’s the work-in-progress part. Consistency is tough in the early part of the year when you only have seven games under your belt.”
The weekend set also gives Lowell a good chance to shake up the league standings. Northeastern is currently in first place and BC is fourth, with Lowell in seventh place. It should be noted that the Huskies have played thrice as many league games as the River Hawks (six vs. two), while the Eagles have played five games.
Bazin said it’s a challenge to plan for two weekend opponents, let alone a pair of top-20 clubs (most weekends see college hockey teams face the same club twice).
“From my personal experience, I plan for the first (game) and look for commonalities in the second so I can basically run drills that apply to both teams,” Bazin said. “We try to talk mostly about the first opponent. If you don’t take care of business Friday, it doesn’t matter what you do on Saturday.”
Bazin had high praise for senior forward Reid Stefanson, who doesn’t lead the River Hawks in scoring but does lead the team in shots with 26.
“I think he’s playing excellent hockey,” Bazin said. “Things haven’t materialized for him as far as the offense, but he plays such a well-rounded game. He reminds me a little of (Patrice) Bergeron of the Bruins — he had a tough start then broke out. He plays penalty kill, he plays power play, 4-on-4, 3-on-3. He’s such a well-rounded player that he’s our utility guy.”
As for goaltending, senior Owen Savory and sophomore Henry Welsch have pretty much split duties so far for Lowell, with Savory starting four games (3-0-1, .946 save percentage and 1.23 GAA) and Welsch in net for three starts (1-1-1, .884, 2.61). Bazin was mum on who will start either game this weekend, but said the goalie competition has been good for both athletes, and the team as a whole.
“They’re both good in practice, they’re both competing hard and they’re enjoying the competition,” Bazin said. “I think it bodes well for both of them because they’re really good at supporting each other. Take one game out of the mix for Henry (a 5-3 loss at Arizona State on Oct. 2), and he’s had decent starts. Owen’s been pretty sharp in most of his starts so far.”
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After losing twice at home to Minnesota State to start the season, defending NCAA champion Massachusetts (6-2-0, 4-0-0) has won six straight. The Minutemen started the season at No. 1 in the USCHO.com poll, were 12th last week and enter this weekend ranked No. 8.
“We’re starting to see our defensive game coming around, which is great to see,” coach Greg Carvel said.
UMass will face Boston University (3-7-0, 2-4-0) in a home-and-home series this weekend, starting Friday night at Agganis Arena (7:30 p.m.) and concluding at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Mullins Center (NESN).
Carvel said improved defensive play has been the biggest factor in his team’s rebound from its opening weekend.
“I don’t really ever worry about offense. If the power play’s a circus that’s something that I have to focus on, but the power play’s been good the last couple of games. If we’re not scoring goals, I don’t spend much time worrying about that. It’s all about defense.”
Carvel said his team did not give up an odd-man rush in a 5-1 win at No. 12 Providence (6-5-0 3-3-0) last Saturday night.
“Earlier in the year, we were giving up 8-10 odd-man rushes a game,” Carvel said. “That’s a real easy indicator of your defensive game.”
